Metal construction connectors

ABSTRACT

A building construction connector has a horizontal seat portion, a pair of vertical side walls extending vertically upwardly from opposite sides of the seat portion, and forming a U-shaped recess therewith, an adhesive attachment on the seat portion, and a readily removable protective cover on the adhesive attachment.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

[0001] 1. Field of the Invention

[0002] The present invention relates to metal construction connectors,e.g. hangers for supporting joists, rafters or the like from a header orsupport beam or other types of connector, e.g. connectors intended to beembedded in concrete for supporting posts or columns and connectors forconnecting beams to the tops of posts supporting the beams, and isuseful for connecting both wooden and steel building constructioncomponents.

[0003] 2. Description of the Related Art

[0004] Conventional construction hangers and other connectors have aU-shaped portion formed by a pair of parallel side walls spaced apartfor receiving a building component, e.g. a joist, column or beam,between them, with a seat portion extending between the lower ends ofthe side walls for supporting the underside of the building component.In one type of hanger, the side walls are formed in one piece with rearflanges, which extend at right angles to the side walls in oppositedirections and which, at their upper ends, may be provided with topsupport flanges. In use the rear flanges are in face-to-face contactwith one side of the beam, the top support flanges, when provided, reston the top of the beam to which a joist is being connected. The sidewall, the rear flanges and the top support flanges may be provided withnail holes, through which nails are driven into the joist and the beamfor securing the hanger to the joist and the beam.

[0005] In U.S. Pat. No. 3,601,428 issued Aug. 24, 1971 to SimpsonCompany, there is shown a joist hanger in which the side walls and therear flanges are formed with integral prongs which can be driven byhammer blows into the joist and the beam in order to eliminate or reducethe number of nails required to fasten the hanger.

[0006] U.S. Pat. No. 4,920,725, issued May 1, 1990 to Charles E. Gore,discloses a hanger having side walls which are formed with projectionson the inwardly facing surfaces of the side walls for gripping the joistas the joist is lowered into the hanger.

[0007] U.S. Pat. No. 5,564,248, issued Oct. 15, 1996 to Gerald Callies,discloses a hanger in which each of the side walls is provided with aholddown tab for engaging the joist and thereby preventing the joistfrom being displaced upwardly during nailing of the hanger to the joist.

[0008] It is, however, a disadvantage of these prior art hangers that,after installation, there is often sufficient looseness between thehanger, the joist and the support beam to allow relative movementbetween them which will result in squeaks caused by rubbing between thewood of the joist and the metal of the hanger.

[0009] Also, a disadvantage of the provision of tabs or prongs in theside walls for engagement with the joist is that they may, in practice,interfere with proper and correct seating of the joist into the hangerduring installation. For example, if the length of the joist isincorrect, it may be difficult or even impossible to remove theincorrect joist or to adjust the position of the joist once it has beeninserted into the hanger. Also, there is a risk that the hanger and/orthe joist may be damaged by the insertion of the joist.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

[0010] It is accordingly an object of the present invention to provide anovel and improved hanger which, in use, is secured by adhesive to itsjoist, rafter or the like so as to prevent relative movement between.

[0011] According to the present invention, there is provided a sheetmetal hanger comprising a pair of vertical side walls extendingvertically upwardly from opposite sides of a seat portion, and a pair ofvertical flanges extending in opposite lateral directions from the sidewalls. An adhesive is provided in the seat portion and is provided witha protective cover sheet.

[0012] In use, when a joist, rafter or the like is to be inserted intothe hanger, the protective cover is removed from the adhesive attachmentand the joist, rafter or the like is then pressed downwardly between thevertical side walls onto the adhesive attachment on the seat portion.

[0013] In a preferred embodiment of the invention, the adhesiveattachment is a foam or fiber material provided on opposite sides withadhesive coatings, and may also be provided not only on the seat portionbut also e.g. on rear surfaces of rear flanges extending in oppositedirections from the vertical flanges and on top support flangesextending at right angles to the rear flanges, for adhering the rearflanges and the top support flanges to the support beam or header.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0014] The present invention will be more readily understood from thefollowing description of preferred embodiments thereof given, by way ofexample, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:-

[0015]FIG. 1 shows a view in perspective of a sheet metal constructionhanger according to a first embodiment of the present invention;

[0016]FIG. 2 shows a view in perspective of the hanger of FIG. 1installed on part of a support beam;

[0017]FIG. 3 shows a view in perspective of the hanger and support beamof FIG. 2, with an end portion of a joist inserted into the hanger;

[0018]FIG. 4 shows a view taken in vertical cross-section through thehanger of FIGS. 1 to 3;

[0019]FIG. 5 shows a broken-away view taken in cross-section, and atright angles to the plane of FIG. 4, through the hangers of FIG. 1 to 3;

[0020]FIG. 6 shows a broken-away view in cross-section, corresponding tothat of FIG. 5, but illustrating a modified adhesive attachmentarrangement;

[0021]FIG. 7 shows a view in perspective of a modification of the hangerof FIGS. 1 through 6;

[0022]FIGS. 8 and 9 show views corresponding to those of FIGS. 2 and 3but with the hanger of FIG. 7 substituted; and

[0023]FIG. 10 shows a plan view of the hanger of FIG. 7;

[0024]FIG. 11 shows a view in perspective of a modified hanger embodyingthe present invention;

[0025]FIG. 12 shows a broken-away view taken in section along the line12-12 of FIG. 11;

[0026]FIG. 13 shows a view in perspective of a connector according toanother embodiment of the present invention;

[0027]FIG. 14 shows a broken away view in cross-section taken along theline 14-14 of FIG. 13;

[0028]FIG. 15 shows a view in perspective of the connector of FIG. 13embedded in a concrete foundation and supporting a post;

[0029]FIG. 16 shows a view in perspective of a connector according to afurther embodiment of the present invention;

[0030]FIG. 17 show a broken-away view taken in cross-section along theline 17-17 of FIG. 16;

[0031]FIG. 18 shows a view in perspective of the connector of FIG. 16connecting a beam to the top of a post;

[0032]FIG. 19 shows a view in perspective of a modification of thehanger of FIG. 1; and

[0033]FIG. 20 shows a view taken in section along the line 20-20 of FIG.19.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0034] In FIG. 1, there is shown a sheet metal construction hangerindicated generally by reference numeral 10 which has a U-shaped seatportion formed by a pair of parallel, spaced vertical side walls orflanges 12 and a flat horizontal seat portion 14 extending at rightangles to the side walls 12 between the side walls 12 at the bottom ofthe U-shaped portion.

[0035] Vertical rear flanges 16 extend at right angles to the side walls12 in opposite directions from respective ones of the side walls 12 andare coplanar.

[0036] At the top of the hanger 10, coplanar top support flanges 18extend horizontally at right angles from the tops of the rear flanges 16and project rearwardly of the hanger 10.

[0037] Referring now to FIGS. 4 and 5, the seat portion 14 has an uppersurface 20 on which there is provided a attachment 22 of adhesive foammaterial. In this embodiment of the invention, the adhesive attachment22 is spaced inwardly of the hanger 10 from the opposed side walls 12.

[0038] A readily removable protective cover in the form of a tear-offstrip 24 of plastic material is provided on top of the adhesiveattachment 22 to protect the adhesive attachment 22 from dust and othercontamination prior to use of the hanger 10. This tear-off strip 24 isalso spaced inwardly from the side walls 12 to facilitate removal of thetear-off strip from the adhesive attachment 22.

[0039]FIG. 6 shows an alternative arrangement in which, instead of thesingle adhesive attachment 22, the upper surface 20 of the seat portion14 is provided with two separate adhesive foam material attachments 22a, with respective tear-off strips 22 b, which extend to the respectiveside walls 12 but are spaced apart from one another by a gap 26.

[0040] Referring now to FIG. 4, it will be seen that the rear flanges 16have rear faces on each of which there is provided an adhesiveattachment 28 provided with a readily removable protective cover sheetin the form of a plastic tear-off strip 30, and the underside of eachtop support flange 18 is provided with an adhesive attachment 32 coveredby a protective cover sheet in the form of a plastic tear-off strip 34.

[0041] When the hanger 10 is being installed, the tear-off strips 30 and34 are firstly removed and the hanger is then pressed onto and therebysecured to a header in the form of a support beam, a portion of which isindicated generally by reference numeral 36 in FIG. 2 and 3. By thismeans, the adhesive attachments 28 are adhered to a side face 38 of theheader and the adhesive attachments 32 are adhered to a top surface 40of the header 36.

[0042] The tear-off strip 24 is then removed to expose the adhesiveattachment 22 on the seat portion 14, and an end portion 42 of a joist,rafter or the like is lowered into the hanger, between the side walls12, onto the adhesive attachment 22, which then adhesively bonds the endportion 42 to the seat portion 14 of the hanger 10.

[0043]FIGS. 7 through 10 illustrate a modified form of constructionhanger and, for convenience, parts shown in FIGS. 7 through 10 areidentified by reference numerals corresponding to those used in FIG. 1to 6 but increased by 100.

[0044] In FIG. 7, there is shown a sheet metal construction hangerindicated generally by reference numeral 110 which has a U-shapedportion formed by parallel vertical spaced side walls 112 and a seatportion 114 extending horizontally between the side walls 112 at thebottom of the hanger 110.

[0045] Coplanar rear flanges 116 extend in opposite directions fromrespective ones of the side walls 112, but the hanger 110 does not havetop support flanges such as the flanges 18 of FIGS. 1 to 6.

[0046] The side walls 112 are formed with nail holes 144 and the rearflanges 116 are formed with nail holes 146.

[0047] The seat portion 114 has an upper surface 120 provided with twoadhesive foam material attachments 122 a, which are each covered by areadily removable protective cover sheet in the form of a tear-off strip122 b of plastic material. In an arrangement corresponding to that ofFIG. 6, the adhesive attachments 122 a and the tear-off strips 122 b arespaced apart from one another by a gap 126.

[0048] The rear flanges 116 are provided with adhesive foam materialattachments 128 and protective tear-off strips 130.

[0049] The hanger 110 is installed, as illustrated FIGS. 8 and 9, byfirstly removing the tear-off strips 130 from the adhesive attachments128 at the rear surfaces of the rear flanges 116 and then pressing theseadhesive attachments 128 against a side surface 138 of a head portion136 in order, thereby, to temporarily secure the header 110 to the sidesurface 138.

[0050] Nails are then driven through the nail holes 146 in the rearflanges 116 in order to more securely fix the hanger 110 to the headerportion 136. In the next step the tear-off strips 122 b are removed fromthe adhesive attachments 122 a and an end portion 142 of a joist, rafteror the like is lowered into the hanger 110 unto the adhesive attachments122 a.

[0051] Nails are then driven through the nail holes 144 in the sidewalls 112 to secure the connector 110 to the end portion 142.

[0052] Each of the above described embodiments of the present inventionhas the advantage that the adhesive attachment bonding the hanger to theheader and the joist or the like prevents relative movement betweenthese metal and wood members and, thereby, eliminates the squeakingwhich, in prior art hanger assemblies in which the steel and wood partsmake direct contact with one another, occurs upon relative movement ofthese parts, e.g. when a person walks across an overlying floor.

[0053]FIG. 11 shows a view in perceptive of a sheet metal hangerindicated generally by reference numeral 200 having a U-shaped seatportion formed by parallel vertical side walls of flanges 202 and a flathorizontal seat portion 204 extending at right angles to the side walls202 between the side walls 202.

[0054] Vertical mutually aligned rear flanges 206 extend at right anglesto the side walls 202 towards one another from respective ones of theside walls 202.

[0055] The hanger 200 is provided with an adhesive attachment 208 on theseat portion 204 and a readily removable protective covering in the formof a tear-off strip 210 on the adhesive attachment 208.

[0056] Also, a further adhesive attachment 212, provided with readilyremovable protective coverings, in the form of tear-off strips, of whichone is shown in FIG. 12 and indicated by reference numeral 214, isprovided on rear surfaces 216 of the flanges 206.

[0057] In use, the tear-off 210 and 214 are removed and the adhesiveattachment 208 and 212 serves to adhere the hanger 200 to a joist orother beam (not shown) inserted into the U-shaped recess of the hanger200 and a support beam or the like (not shown) to which the flanges 206of the hanger 200 are adhered.

[0058]FIG. 13 shows a view in perspective of a further connector,indicated generally by reference numeral 300 according to a furtherembodiment of the present invention. The hanger 300 has a U-shaped seatportion formed by parallel vertical side walls or flanges 302 and a flathorizontal seat portion 304 extending at right angles to the side walls302 between the side walls 302.

[0059] An intermediate plate 306 extends between the flanges 302substantially midway along the lengths of the flanges 302, so as to formtherewith an upwardly-open U-shaped recess, and the flanges 302 areformed with nail holes 308 above the intermediate plate 306.

[0060] An adhesive attachment 310 is provided on the upper surface ofthe intermediate plate 306, as shown in FIG. 14, and is covered by areadily removable protective covering in the form of a tear-off strip312.

[0061] In use, the lower half of the connector, up to the intermediateplate 306, is embedded in a concrete foundation 314, as shown in FIG.15, and the lower end of a post 316 is inserted into the U-shaped recessformed by the plate 306 and the flanges 302. Nails (not shown) can thenbe driven through the nail holes 308 to more securely connect the post316 to the foundation 314

[0062]FIG. 16 shows yet another connector, indicated generally byreference numeral 400, embodying the present invention. The connector400 has a pair of parallel vertical side walls 402 each formed along alower edge with a flange 404. The flanges 404 extend towards one anotherfrom the side walls 402 and are attached by bonding to a seat portion406.

[0063] The seat portion 406 is an intermediate portion, extendingbetween parallel vertical side walls 408, of in inverted U-shapedportion of the connector 400, and is provided with an adhesiveattachment 410 provided with a readily removable protective covering inthe form of a tear-off strip 412.

[0064] The side walls 402 are formed with nail holes 414 and the sidewalls 408 are formed with nail holes 416.

[0065] When the hanger 400 is in use, the tear-off strip 412 is removedand the hanger 400 is then employed to temporarily secure a beam 418 onthe top of a post 420, as shown in FIG. 18 until nails (not shown) aredriven though the nail holes 414 into the beam 418 and through the nailholes 416 into the post 420.

[0066] The hanger shown in FIGS. 19 and 20 and indicated generally byreference numeral 500 has a U-shaped seat portion formed by a pair ofparallel, spaced vertical side walls or flanges 512 and a flathorizontal seat portion 514 extending at right angles to the side walls512 between the side walls 512 at the bottom of the U-shaped portion.Vertical rear flanges 516 extend at right angles to the side walls 512towards one another from respective ones of the side walls 512 and arecoplanar. At the top of the hanger 500, coplanar top support flanges 518extend horizontally at right angles from the tops of the rear flanges516 and project rearwardly of the hanger 510.

[0067] As can be seen from FIG. 20, adhesive attachments 522, 523 and524, provided with protective coverings in the form of tear-off strips526, are. provided on the undersurface 528 of the seat portion 514, rearsurfaces 560 of the flanges 516 and undersurfaces 530 of the top supportflanges 518.

[0068] As will be apparent to those skilled in the art, variousmodifications may be made within the scope of the appended claims. Forexample, while the adhesive attachments in the above-describedembodiments of the present invention comprise an adhesive tape sold bythe Bonding Systems Division of 3M Corporation of St. Paul, Minn. asDouble-Coated Urethane Foam Tape 4052, which has a double-coatedadhesive substance on opposite sides of an intermediate attachment offoam material, other suitable adhesives may alternatively be employed.

1. A building construction connector, comprising a horizontal seatportion and a pair of vertical side walls extending vertically upwardlyfrom opposite sides of said seat portion, said connector including anadhesive attachment on said seat portion and a readily removableprotective cover on the adhesive attachment.
 2. A building constructionconnector as claimed in claim 1, wherein said adhesive attachment isprovided on a strip-shaped area of said seat portion, said strip-shapedarea being parallel to and spaced from said side walls, and saidprotective cover comprising a plastic material sheet covering saidadhesive attachment over said strip-shaped area and extending laterallybeyond opposite sides of said strip-shaped area towards said side walls.3. A construction connector as claimed in claim 1, wherein said adhesiveattachment comprises a double coating of an adhesive substance onopposite side of a foam material.
 4. A building construction hanger,comprising sheet metal bent to form a flat rectangular seat portion, apair of flat rectangular parallel side walls extending upwardly fromopposite sides of said seat portion at right angles to said seat portionto form therewith a U-shaped recess and mutually aligned flangesextending at right angles to said side walls, said hanger furthercomprising an adhesive attachment within said U-shaped recess on saidseat portion and a readily removable protective covering on saidadhesive attachment.
 5. A building construction connector as claimed inclaim 1, including a pair of top support flanges extending rearwardlyfrom and at right angles to said mutually aligned flanges at the top ofsaid sheet metal hanger, and further adhesive attachment on rear sidesof said mutually aligned flanges and readily removable protectivecoverings on said further adhesive attachment.
 6. A buildingconstruction connector as claimed in claim 4, wherein said adhesiveattachment comprises a double coating of an adhesive substance onopposite side of a foam material.
 7. A building construction connectoras claimed in claim 5, wherein said further adhesive attachmentcomprises double coatings of an adhesive substance on opposite sides offoam material.
 8. A building construction hanger as claimed in claim 7,wherein said rear flanges have rear surfaces beneath said top supportflanges and wherein further adhesive attachment is provided on said rearsurfaces and on undersides of said top support flanges, with furtherreadily removable protective covers on said further adhesive attachment.